Storage assembly for draftsman&#39;s articles



NOV- 4, 1969 H. P. PRICE, JR

STORAGE ASSEMBLY FOR DRAFTSMAN'S ARTICLES Filed Jan. 29, 1968 ATroRNEY United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 211-69.8 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A framework for mounting on a draftsmans table and for storing in readily accessible locations the conventional articles, such as pencils, triangles or the like employed in the work of draftsmen. The framework is adjustable with respect to the drafting table on which it is mounted.

Background of the invention Field of the invention-In carrying out his work at the conventional drafting board or table, the draftsman ernploys a Wide variety of articles such as pens, pencils, cornpasses, triangles, curves, templates and the like. The storage of such articles when not in use often presents an annoying problem, especially when they have to be placed in a drawer and become intermingled therein. The present invention relates to a conveniently mounted storage assembly having a rack portion for storing of apertured planar articles and preferably an additional receptacle portion for storing of non-planar articles, all of the articles being readily accessible to the user and readily distinguishable from each other.

Description of the prior arzt-Racks or trays for use by draftsmen, typists and other users in storing articles employed by them in their work and mounted adjacent the drafting table, typewriter, or the like, are known. However, so far as I am aware, such prior art structures embody limitations which have prevented their general adoption and use and which limitations it is a purpose of my invention to overcome. For example, the usual drafting table provides in combination an adjustable lighting means and an adjustable pantagraph-like scribing means, or T-square. Accordingly, the means for storing articles must be mounted and arranged so that it will not interfere with the lighting means, T-square, or the like and yet will provide ready accessibility to the draftsmans hand. Moreover, the variety of sizes and shapes of planar articles normally used by a draftsman requires a capacious storage ability for the assembly and which should be arranged so that the draftsman can distinguish one such article from another merely by glancing at the same. Conventional racks in which the stored article may be partially hidden from view thus have the disadvantage of preventing ready access to the desired article.

Summary of the invention The invention comprises a storage assembly structure adapted to be adjustably mounted on the edge of a draftsmans table or the like, and having a portion including closely spaced finger rods between which fiat apertured articles may be suspended by the engagement of enlarged tips of the rods pressing into the apertures of the at articles. A supplementary open top receptaclev may be employed to store miscellaneous articles such as pens, compasses and the like. Among the objects of the invention are t-o provide an adjustable storage assembly having a large storage capacity for a wide variety of articles used by draftsrnen; an assembly which display articles in readily distinguishable form; and an assembly wherein Patented Nov. 4, 1969 at apertured articles may be readily stored, or removed from storage, by a simple manipulation of the flat article.

Brief description of the drawings The objects of the invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds and when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of the storage assembly with parts broken away, and with a supporting drafting table shown in dotted lines.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a rod clamping means taken on the vertical axis of the rod and cylinder, and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the open-top receptacle taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring first to FIG. 1, an elongated rigid member 10, shown here as a rod, supports a plurality of laterally projecting parallel finger rods 11 which, for example, may be about three inches in length and formed of plated spring steel. These finger rods are spaced inboard of the end 12 of member 10 from adjacent that end 12 and at their distal ends are provided with plastic ball tips 13 the diameters of which are substantially greater than the diameters of the corresponding finger rods. Preferably the shanks of intermediate finger rods are spaced from each other a short distance, for example 1&4 inch, and with the corresponding finger rods spaced sufliciently far apart to accommodate the thickness of a planar article such as a triangle 14 which normally is about '1A inch. The tips 15, 16 of the extreme finger rods, however, preferably touch their adjacent tips and provide for the storing of thin planar articles such as a template 17 having a thickness less than the triangle. All tips are of non-abrasive material thus to prevent scarring of articles inserted therebetween.

Mounted adjacent the end 18 of member 10 and laterally projecting therefrom in generally the same directi-on as the finger rods, is a wire framework disposed inboard of that end 18 of the member and adapted to provide a support for an open-top receptacle. This framework may include a plurality of wires or rods 19V anchored at one end upon member 10 and with their distal ends joined by a transverse rod 20. Other transverse rods such as 21 may be employed to give rigidity to the framework. Upon this wire framework an open top receptacle formed of plastic or other lightweight material and having a peripheral shoulder 22, 23, 24, 25 with a groove on the underside thereof, is mounted. This groove is adapted to provide a snap locking of the shoulder upon the extreme rods 19 and upon the transverse rods 20, 21, as best seen in FIG. 3.

The receptacle is sufficiently long to accommodate the storing of pencils and the like and includes a plurality of parallel semi-cylindrical pockets closed at their ends by semi-circular walls as indicated at 26, 27, and which walls prevent the longitudinal slipping of articles from the cornpartment when the assembly is tilted. For additional rigidity the bridging sections between the pockets may rest upon intermediate wires 19A as shown in FIG. 3.

Attached to member 10 at a central location and projecting generally normal thereto is an elevating rod 30, the lower end of which is housed in a tube 31 for telescopic movement therein. As seen in FIG. 2, a compression type fitting 32 threadedly engages the upper end of the tube and is adapted to force a packing 33 into a friction fit with the rod 30 in order to hold the rod at a desired elevation. At its lower end the tube is attached to a split clamp 34 bearing against a fiat disc 35 upstanding from a rotatable bushing 36. This bushing is journalled for movement about a stationary pin 37 which is rigidly attached to the upper face of a. U-shaped clamp 38 adapted to be engaged upon the edge of a conventional drafting table T and secured in position by the head 39 of a clamping screw 40. An adjustable screw 41 joining the two sections of the split clamp 34 serves to hold tube 31 and the superstructure supported thereby at the selected inclination in a vertical plane. Other swivel mounting means may, of course, be employed without departing from my invention.

As will now be apparent, the storage assembly may be mounted at any convenient location at the edge of table T where it will not interfere with a T-square, a lighting means, or the like, and where it will be in ready reach of the draftsman. The rod 30 is raised to a selected position and clamped by fitting 32; the tube 31 is inclined to a desired angle and clamped with screw 41; and the bushing 36 is rotated to a position at which the receptacle and finger rods extend generally toward the draftsman. As will be noted, the weight of the assembly and its stored articles exert a binding action between the bushing 36 and the pin 37 which prevents undesired rotation of the assembly, but which permits a conscious rotation of the same when the user so desires. Upon completing the adjustment of the assembly to its most convenient setting the draftsman places pencils, erasers, Compasses and the like in the receptacle pockets and stores the planar apertured article between the linger rod. These articles thus are displayed in a manner whereby they are readily distinguishable.

Having thus described a preferred form of coordinated apparatus by means of which the invention is practiced, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A storage assembly for draftsmans articles or the like comprising an elongated member, a plurality of generally parallel linger rods attached to said member and projecting laterally therefrom, said linger rods having enlarged rounded tips adapted to spring toward and from each other and past which tips apertured flat articles may be pushed for subsequent retention upon said assembly by the tips of corresponding finger r-ods springing into the apertures of said fiat articles, an elevating rod extending generally normal to said member and attached thereto at a central location on said member, a tube into which said elevating rod extends for telescoping movement therein, means for clamping said elevating rod in selected position with respect to said tube, means for mounting said assembly upon a draftsmans table, and swivel means connecting said mounting means and said tube and providing rotational adjustment of said tube with respect to said mounting means.

2. An assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the tips of at least two adjacent linger rods are normally in contact with each other.

3. A storage assembly for draftsmans articles or the like comprising an elongated member, a plurality of generally parallel linger rods attached to said member adjacent one end thereof and projecting laterally therefrom, said linger rods having enlarged rounded tips adapted to spring toward and from each other and past which tips apertured at articles may be pushed for subsequent retention upon said assembly by the tips of corresponding linger rods springing into the apertures of said llat articles, an open-top receptacle for pencils 4or other small nonplanar articles mounted upon said member adjacent the other end thereof and projecting laterally therefrom, an elevating rod extending generally normal to said member and attached thereto intermediate said linger rods and said receptacle, a tube into which said elevating rod extends for telescoping movement therein, means for clamping said elevating rod in selected position with respect to said tube, means for mounting said assembly upon a draftsmans ltable, and swivel means connecting said mounting means and said tube and providing rotational adjustment of said tube with respect to said mounting means.

4. An assembly as defined in claim 3 wherein said receptacle comprises a plurality of side-by-side semicylindrical pockets having end walls at each end of said pockets.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 842,490 1/1907 Poggi 211-176 1,944,304 1/ 1934 Scarnegie 211-120 X 2,451,674 10/ 1948 Hade 211-176 2,472,480 6/ 1949 Huhn 211-86 2,526,766 10/ 1950 Ornell 211-120 2,699,262 1/ 1955 Elliott 211-69.8 3,182,808 5/ 1965 Benoit et al 211-69.8

DAVID H. BROWN, Primary Examiner U.s. C1. xii. 2li- 13, s6, 12o 

